The amount of memory or RAM available on personal computers has increased steadily throughout the past decades. Many factors have pushed an increase in memory usage, and laptops shipping with 8 GB RAM is now a common sight. Yet, those users involved with heavy duty processesIs It Still Cheaper to Build Your Own PC?Is It Still Cheaper to Build Your Own PC?How much does it cost to build your own PC these days? Compared to pre-built models, are the savings worth the effort? We investigate.Read More, such as game design or video editing, are likely to need more still.

Of course, RAM has its limits. Your system capabilities are limited by the amount of RAM in use, as one of a number of factors. What happens when you have low RAM? Or how about a memory leak? Let’s take a quick look at what RAM is, and what to do when a number of RAM-related issues arise.

Task Manager

Luckily, a host of programs allow us check what is using our RAM. Right-click the Taskbar. You should spot Start Task Manager. Selecting it will open the Windows Task Manager, which is a control center for your computer. Note the tabs at the top. Click Processes. This will show you each process using the RAM on your system. At the bottom of the panel, Windows handily shows you the cumulative system usage.

At the time of writing this, I’m using 49% of my available 8 GB RAM. My system isn’t slow by any means, but I might close a few of the more RAM hungry processes before playing a game.

If you then click the Performance tab, you’ll get a system overview. It should look similar to the above screenshot, depending on your version of Windows. As you can see, I am using 3.93 GB RAM, that my system has been up for 23 hours, and that I’m using 28% of my available CPU powerHow to Fix High CPU Usage in WindowsHow to Fix High CPU Usage in WindowsIf your computer fans frequently hit top speeds, it's a sign that your CPU is fully loaded. Simultaneously, your computer may slow down. That's annoying, especially if you're not actually doing anything.Read More.

Resource Monitor

Not satisfied with the Task Manager? In the Performance tab you can access the more detailed overview of the Resource Manager. The Resource Manager will open in a new window, and initially shows an overview, with separate tabs for your CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network. Head to the Memory tab.

You’ll first notice the delightful bar graph8 Types of Excel Charts & When You Should Use Them8 Types of Excel Charts & When You Should Use ThemGraphics are easier to grasp than text and numbers. Charts are a great way to visualize numbers. We show you how to create charts in Microsoft Excel and when to best use what kind.Read More visualizing your current memory usage. There are also some graphs to check out, and the main event of your active memory processes. Your active memory processes show how your RAM is being assigned to make the most use of it. Don’t worry if your bar graph shows no “free” RAM – memory that isn’t being used for something is a waste of resources, so Windows will try to optimize your RAM to make sure it is full of useful, frequently used things.

For instance, you might regularly load a program that uses a common DLL. The application executable and the function may well be sitting in Standby memory, saving time.

Here is an explanation for each of the columns in the Processes panel:

Hard Faults: Also known as Page Faults. Hard/Page Faults occur when an application tried to access something in the RAM that had been moved to the paging file. If this is a common occurrence, definitely consider increasing your system RAM.

Commit: The amount of space the application has needed in the paging file.

Working Set: The current working amount of RAM in use by the application.

Shareable: The amount of the Working Set that can be or is being shared with other processes. This is also an indicator of RAM that can be given up to other processes.

Private: The amount of RAM an application is using that cannot be accessed by other processes.

Along with the standard features you’d expect, such as graphs for CPU, memory, and disk usage, Process Hacker gives you more control over system processes. For instance, Process Hacker allows you to discover which processes are using a particular file before you attempt to delete or edit it, or create and manage your own system processes.

If you’re unsure of how to install the RAM once you’ve bought it, YouTube is full of tutorialsHow To Upgrade A Laptop's RAM, Step By StepHow To Upgrade A Laptop's RAM, Step By StepIs your laptop old, slow, and has the hardware never been upgraded? Working on a slow computer can be a real drag. Before you buy a completely new one, however, you should consider ways to...Read More you can find here. If you are still unsure, try typing in the name of your motherboard + install RAM, or your laptop make and model + install RAM. Unless you’re running a super rare setup, it is highly likely someone has been in your shoes and made a video to help others.

My System Is Slow, But I Have Lots Of RAM

This can mean different things on different systems, and it can also relate to the software you’re using.

However, it isn’t just applications that can cause a memory leak. Windows 10 system process ntoskrnl.exe has been identified as a memory leak source, confirmed through several Reddit and Microsoft Community Forum posts. People speculate that this particular type of memory leak is caused by malware transitioning through the Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 to Windows 10 upgrade process.

If you suspect a memory leak is hogging your system resources, you can try this simple monitoring technique using the Task Manager. It isn’t 100% accurate, but might give you some insight. Open the Task Manager, and browse to the Performance tab. Keeping the Task Manager open, one-by-one open your most commonly used applications i.e. open Chrome, and monitor it for an hour or two. If the blue line in the Physical Memory Usage History graph continually rises without you using the system, it could be symptomatic of a memory leak.

Beeping During POST

Every time you turn your computer on, it runs a Power-on self-test process, detecting any immediate issues with your system hardware. The POST process can, on detection of a non-functional setup, deliver error codes as a sequence of flashes, or in many cases, a sequence of beeps. Three short beeps usually indicates a RAM issue, though some motherboard manufacturer use their own beep sequences, so it could be worth checking them out before an issue occurs, or least familiarizing yourself with the model of your system.

If this does occur, and your system fails to boot, it could be something relatively simple, like needing to re-seat your RAM in their respective slots. However, it could also be indicative of something more serious, such as faulty DIMM slots (the bits where the RAM goes!), meaning you’ll need some testing (see below), or potentially a new motherboard.

Computer Won’t Recognize My RAM?

You’ve installed a new operating system, but it will not register your 16 GB RAM, showing instead 3.75 GB available for use. It could just be you’ve installed a 32-bit version of your operating system, rather than the requisite 64-bit for systems using over 4 GB.

Open the Start menu, search for system, and locate the entry under Control Panel. This screen displays your system information. Check which version of the operating system you’ve installed. If it is 32-bit, you’ll need to reinstall.

However, all is not lost for those with 32-bit systems, without access or a license for a 64-bit version, who wish to install more RAM. The Windows PAE Patch can allow 32-bit systems to support up to 64 GB RAM. This technique increases the amount of physical address available to the system from 32 to 36, but keeps the system’s virtual addresses the same, ensuring everything still works.

Windows 10 RAM Issues

Windows 10 has ongoing issues with RAM usage. No matter the device or Windows 10 version, there have been numerous reports of the operating system decimating system memory with intensive processes. We’ve given Windows 10 its own little section to help you find the issue at hand!

This means all of your Universal Apps from the Windows Store use this service to communicate with your system and other Universal Apps. If you run a large amount of Universal Apps, this service will see a higher-than-expected amount of memory usage. Luckily, Microsoft was aware to the problem and updates KB3081444 and KB3081441 fixed many of the system memory and CPU issues associated with this process.

Superfetch

Put simply, the Superfetch service allows Windows to manage the amount of RAM in the machine it is running on more efficiently. It has been a common service since Windows Vista, and it has two goals: decrease boot time, and make application loading more efficient. This is all very well and good, but it has notable side-effects for gaming processes. However, business related apps such as Excel or Power BI can see performance improvements.

Disable: Press Win + R to open the Run dialogue. Type msc and press Enter. In the Services window, locate Superfetch. Right-click and select Properties. Select Stop if you wish to stop the service. From Startup Type drop-down menu select Disabled to stop the service resuming at startup.

To re-enable, just follow the instructions above and select Enable in the last step.

Windows 10 works slightly differently. It still uses the pagefile, but now when your RAM starts to fill up, it can compress old pages of memory to free up space. Meaning, when you leave an application running, but not in use, Windows 10 will make the memory imprint smaller, rather than copying it to the hard-drive. Win win?

Not quite. Decompressing the memory takes up more CPU clock cycles, placing a little bit more strain on performance, though the performance cost is usually vastly reduced versus recalling application-specific data from the hard-drive. Each time Windows 10 compresses a memory page, the system process expands just a little bit.

With this in mind, unless it really is causing your system major issues, it might be best left alone. Unused RAM is wasted RAM, and really the only major fixes for this particular issue is adding more RAM to your system, or managing the applications and browser tabs you have open.

Open the Start menu and type memory, then select the Windows Memory Diagnostic. You can choose to immediately restart your system and diagnose, or for the diagnostic to run following the next restart. Be sure to save your work before selecting the immediate restart!

Once the diagnostic tool starts, you can access the advanced tools. Microsoft recommends only advanced users make use of these tools, and the basic scan should be enough for most people. To access the advanced tools press F1 when diagnostic tool runs. You can adjust the following settings:

Test mix: Choose what type of test you want to run: Basic, Standard, or Extended. The choices are described in the tool.

Cache: Choose the cache setting you want for each test: Default, On, or Off.

Once you’ve downloaded the ISO and some Bootable USB software, we can proceed. Open your chosen Bootable USB software, and create a bootable drive using the Memtest86+ ISO. Depending on the software you choose, you may have to unzip/unpack the Memtest86+ ISO, and make sure you set your USB as bootable during the setup!

You’ll now need to boot into your system BIOSHow To Enter The BIOS On Your ComputerHow To Enter The BIOS On Your ComputerInside the BIOS you can change basic computer settings, like the boot order. The exact key you need to strike depends on your hardware. We have compiled a list of strategies & keys to enter...Read More. If you’re completely unsure of what is going on here, I would advise seeking further advice, or proceeding with caution. You access the BIOS during the very early stages of the startup procedure. The options usually momentarily flash across your screen, offering you a choice between Enter Bios, Safe Mode, and other motherboard specific options. Still unsure of which button to press? Here is a pretty comprehensive list of BIOS Entry Hot Keys. Obviously, I’ve not tried them all, but I’m sure it is largely accurate.

Make sure your boot order is set to USB, Save and Exit, then reboot your system. It should now boot Memtest86+. It is widely recommended to run Memtest86+ for eight hours, and you should really only test one stick of RAM at a time (if you have multiples) to keep the test isolated. Memtest86+ will continue running until manually stopped, so you can walk away, or leave it overnight. It will display any errors in the main dialogue, and will give you an error type, along with error codes, and the sector the error occurred in. If Memtest86+ runs for eight passes without throwing up an error, there is a very high possibility your RAM is clean.

Again, if you don’t know what you’re doing here, take the information before you to a professional, or exercise some cautious Google-fu to find a potential answer.

Troubleshooting Complete

We have covered a few issues, some Windows 10 issues, Task Manager, Resource Monitor, and an open source alternative. Hopefully, you’ve identified your RAM issue, or at least have a better understanding of what you might be facing. Otherwise, before panicking about a system on the fritz, run a memory diagnostic tool to check for errors, or monitor your system resources to see where that RAM is disappearing to.